The Most Comprehensive Collection of Shakespeare Data, World Wide.

In a continuation of the relationship between the Folger Shakespeare Library
and the Web Development Group (WDG), the World Shakespeare Bibliography (WSB) site was designed and developed
to provide a comprehensive, searchable electronic database of William Shakespeare and related works and
documents.

The Most Comprehensive Record of Shakespeare Data,
Worldwide

The World Shakespeare Bibliography is a joint collaboration between Texas
A&M University, John Hopkins University and The Folger Shakespeare Library.
It is the largest database of Shakespeare-related material produced worldwide, ranging from 1960 to the
present. The database includes books, articles, dissertations, stage productions, book reviews, films, stage
adaptations and more. At first glance, the WSB site may appear as a simple searchable catalog site, but behind
the scenes, WDG was tasked with creating a complex search portal that houses over a quarter of a million
records.

Appealing to Academics

The first challenge presented was creating a site that successfully performed
all the required search capabilities while appealing aesthetically to an academic audience. The WSB site is
subscription based, comprised of individual subscribers and educational institutions. To facilitate an academic
user experience, WDG’s expert branding specialists and design authorities offered logo exploration and design,
as well as the design of a streamlined and succinct navigation. The colors and imagery coordinate with the
Folger Shakespeare Library website, while still creating a unique identity and experience. Beyond the look and
feel, the Drupal development specialists at WDG were challenged with creating complex technical capabilities to
allow for extremely filtered and advanced searches, and data-focused usability.

Facilitating Complex Search

To facilitate a site with such heavy search needs, Drupal was selected
as the open-source Content Management System (CMS). The Web Development Group selected Drupal as the CMS for
the website because it offers powerful search capabilities, and the additional module options for expanding the
search process are robust. Drupal’s inherent search functionality is advanced by default, but when coupled with
applications such as Solr, WDG development experts were able to create a customized search implementation and
configuration with many filters for data funneling, offering the user powerful and multifaceted browse and
search functionalities that could support huge amounts of records while creating an intuitive experience.

The customized Solr integration indexes nearly 40 different fields and exposes
11 different filters to users. Site users can search by keywords and
phrases, but may also use wildcards and boolean operators (and, or, not) to construct advanced queries. In
addition, results contain embedded links to cross-references, book collections, and further filters for related
records.

Expanding the Search Experience

Implementing and configuring a custom Solr search was just the beginning, as
users needed to do more than just view a list of results. WDG built a saved entry interface for
micro-bookmarking results returned to build a virtual bibliography and enabled users to export to a variety of
tools. WDG’s development team implemented export formats for email, print, plain text download, and an export
compatible with bibliographic software. This allowed users to import the records returned on World Shakespeare
Bibliography to the popular software Zotero, RefWorks and EndNote.

Additionally, WDG implementation authorities built SFX link generation into
entry results. SFX links are used among institutions to locate physical copies of data, like journal articles,
books, etc. so scholars can find and reference physical works. The SFX results are filtered by distance and
availability. WDG implemented this capability by marrying OpenURL and SFX link resolvers, so the user sees
results relevant to them.

Beyond the impressive search development, design aspects were also accounted
for in the presentation of results. To help facilitate a comprehensive display, custom icons were designed to
correspond with the various formats of work, such as film, books, stage productions, and so forth. Having a
visual representation assists in the organization of results for the site viewer. Additionally, to help
streamline the display of results and prevent content clutter, several supplementary user interface elements
were designed. Expandable/collapsible dropdowns reveal or minimize additional content information, allowing the
user to attain more details of a specific search results, without having to click all the way into it. Hover
effects were also utilized; when the cursor is placed over a specific search result, additional save/share
options are uncovered.

Data Migration is Key

The next challenge presented to The Web Development Group was the migration of
117,000 data entries and an equal number of reviews to the new WSB site. As recognized experts in data
migration, WDG was apt at delivering a pragmatic approach to this deliverable. As with any site, data migration
is finicky in nature, but for the WSB site, precise and accurate migration was essential. Because the site’s
main functionality is browsing and searching, with the availability of complex filtering and funneling, if data
were migrated incorrectly, search results would be incorrect and inaccurate. You can read further about data
migration in our Expert Insights.

Creating a New Workflow

Another business goal emphasized by WSB was a site that was easy to maintain
and update. In response, WDG created a completely new, user-friendly system for data entry. WSB is backed by
vetted users and members who are able to create and submit new entries; entries are then examined
by the editor, a member of the editorial staff, or a member of the committee of correspondents before being
integrated into the site’s database. Additionally, editors regularly
update and submit corrections for works. Enhancing this process was a huge component of the workflow. Formally,
WSB hadtwo systems in place: one for inputting data, and one for
displaying it. The Web Development Group upgraded this system and created a new, streamlined workflow and
approval process by merging the two systems. Doing so not only accelerated the data entry process, but it also
improved the accuracy of data categorizing and tagging.

Supporting the Open-Source Community

While designing and developing the World Shakespeare Bibliography, the WDG
implementation team submitted bug reports and found solutions for two separate Drupal modules. As active users
and supporters of open source technology such as Drupal, WDG takes responsibility for fueling the development
of this community and takes an active part in improving upon such technologies.

About The Web Development Group

At WDG, we deliver results-driven and engaging device-independent online web properties and communities.
While our strategy and design teams are platform agnostic, our web development team specializes in
open-source technologies, such as Drupal
and WordPress.